Method of making rubber-tired wheels



Jan. l, 1929. v 1,697,438 J.- H. WAGENHORST .METHOD 0F -MAKING RUBER TIRED WHEELS l Filed April 7, 1924 5 'sheets-sheet 1l .J.` H. vvAGENHloRs-r vMETHOD 0F MAKING RUBBER. T'IREDy WHEELS.

' Filed April 7j 1924 i -SShees--Sheet 2 Patente-d dan. l, 1929.

eff

JAMES H. WAGENHORST,

marina raar Aric-f or' JACKSON;l MICHIGAN.

METHOD F MAKING :RUBBER-TIRE WHEELS.

Application led April- 7,

This invention relates generally to a l tires. Heretofore, cushion tires have been employed for trucks and similar vehicles. Some of these cushion tires have been solid, and others ha've been made With al central circumferential air chamber, While others have had air chambers variously disposed.

lo l Mostof these cushion tires have been vulcanized to a band or base which has been either permanently. or demountably attached to a Wheel body. The Wheel body has heretofore been fabricated as a finished product, and the cushion tire as a finished' product has' been subsequently applied, either'p'ermanently or demountably as before mentioned.

It has also been usual to employ veryheavy liat rim bases to Which thecushion tires have' zo been vulcanized, and in some instances these cushion tires have been made solid, and in others they have been formed With a centraly air chamber; the rim base being-"practically, two spaced sections connected together 'by bridge pieces for the purpose of'permitting the chamber forming core to be removed.

The object of -my invention is to provide a wheel body embodyinga plurality of spokes and a comparatively light Weight sheet metal tire carrying rim or felly to which the rubbercompound is directly applied and subsequently vulcanized. l l

By providing the Iinished Wheel and build-4 ing the cushion tire directly upon the sheet metal tire carrying rim or felly, considerable time and labor -is saved and a complete wheel with cushion tires permanent-ly connected thereto'is provided.

It is also an object of my invention to provide for the fabrication upon a sheet metal Wheel rim or felly of a cushion tire having a central air ch'amber, by providing soluble cores which can be removed after the vulcani- Zation of the tire has been accomplished'.` Another object of my invention is to provide a suitable filler in connection'With the sheet metal tire carrying rim or felly, toI

economi'ze in the use of the rubber compound, and also to provide additional strength for withstanding the pressures to which the tire and rim are subjected during vulcanization.

specification, Fig. 1 is a plan .view partly-in 1924. semaine. 704,694.

With these various objects in view, the inl' vention consists in the novel features of construction, andin the manner of combining or arranging the same, all ofwhich will be fully 55 described hereinafter and set Aforth in the appended claims. Y

In the drawvingsforming apart of this section of a Wheel and mold for molding the 6G yt1re'd1rect upon the Wheel body; Fig. I2 is an edge view of the mold withwheel therein; Fig. l3 is a'sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig, 1 Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the means employed in molding the .tiren on a- Wooden spoked Wheel; Fi s. 5, 6' andg are sectional views' showing iiferent form of fillers. f i

In carrying out my invention I employ a f plurality of spokes Which may be of metal, as indicated at A in Figs. 1 and 3, or they may be of wood as indicated at Ain Fig. 4. i These spokes are assembled within, `and permanently connected to a continuous or unbroken sheet metal felly or t-ire carrying rim 13, which ispreferably formed with a centra-l mwardly projecting portion B', and tire engaging orretaining flanges B2.'

vSuitable sockets B3 are produced in the central portion of the felly or rim for the entrance of the spoke tenons, and when metallic spokes are employed the tubular tenon-AB, at the end of th'e spoke is -rolled over upon'the socket portion `B3 of the felly ormri'm. It will of course be understood that the rim can be of any desired shape, in cross section but the forms shown inFigs. 5, 6 and 7 are the preferred forms. v

After the rim has been shaped, sized, applied, and secured to the spokes, I preferably arrange a shect'metal filler C Within the rim, and this sheet metal filler may be arched in shape as shown in Fig. 6, or it may be channel shaped with the side legs. thereof turned in opposite directions and engaging the legs of the central inwardly projecting portion of the rim base as shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 7 or the liiller can be in the form of aninverted channel as shown in Fig. 4.

After the filler has been applied to the felly or rim, the rubber com ound for making the cushion tire D is applie to said rim, and then the wheel with tire applied is placed in a mold E to be vulcanized.

In case it is desired to provide a central air chamber D', and this is the preferred form of cushion tire at the present time, I arrangeI a core F within the filler, or upon the filler, bef-ore the rubber compound is applied.

This core is preferably of some gluten or similar composition which will provide the necessary strength and rigidity, but Which can be dissolved by the use of steam or hot Water after vulcanization has taken place.

, In Fig.` 4, I arrange the core upon the inverted channel iiller, Whereas in Fig. 3 the core is arranged Within the filler Which is formed With oppositely disposed flanges C which contact With the side portions of the rim base.

In Fig. 5, I have shown still another form of filler 'in Which the side flanges C2 thereof are turned down so as to rest Within the side Walls of the central inwardly projecting portion of the tire carrying rim.

In Fig. 7 the legs of the iiller are provided with flanges C3 which extend out to and contact with but do not rest upon the side Walls of the inwardly projecting portion of the tire` carrying rim. In Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the core has been removed, Whereas in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, the cores are still in place.

In Figs. 1, 3 and 4 the Wheel with the rim connected .thereto and the core and tire are shown Within a two-piec` mold El and a series of these molds are arranged one upon the other avith an interposed packing ring of rubber G. A A series of thesemolds is then placedA in the vulcaniizer and subjected to the proper degree of heat .and pressure to accomplish the vulcani'zation.

After vulcanization has taken place, the molds are removed and separated, and the core is dissolved or Washed out thus producing a complete wheel With cushion tire vulcanized to the rim or felly. y i

When Wooden spokes `are employed it Will of course be necessary to protect them from y the action of steam and heat duringvthevulcanizing operation, and this I accomplish by providing rubber mats H which are laid upon opposite sides of the spokes and are brought together and held between the edges of the mold, as most clearly shown in'Fig. 4. By means of this mat, thus arranged the steam will be excluded from thc wooden spokes, and after vulcanization Ahas been accomplished and the mold is separated, the rubber mats Will 'of course be removed so that the dissolving or Washing operation can take place.

When the inverted channel filler is em ployed, it is perforated at certain points asc shown at C4 in Fig. 4 and the inwardlly pro` jecting `portion of the rim is also perforated at B* so that steam orhot Water can be introduced through the base .and iiller to the coniposition core, it being understood that steam or hot Water is introduced through certain openings, and the dissolved core discharged through other openings.

The mold sections completely envelope the rim as well as the tire, and also tightly embrace the spoke vends Without the mats, in case metallic spokes are employed, and with the mats, in case wooden spokes are employed.

The'cores together With the i'illcr prevent breaking down during the heat and pressure of vulcanization.

It will thus be seen that I provide a new article of manufacture consisting of a Wheel body comprising spokes and a sheet metal tire carrying rim or felly to which lthe cushion tire is directly applied and vulcanized after the wheel body has been completed, and it will also be noted that I provide a simple and ef'licient'method or process .of producing this new article of manufacture. i

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is l. The herein'described method Which con' sists in providing a sheet metal rim having tire retaining' flanges, and arranging a fillery thereon, applying a soluble core to said filler and rim, applying a rubber tire to said core and rim, vulcanizing thetire upon saidA core and rim and subsequently dissolving the core, leaving the vulcanized tire upon the filler and rim.

2. The herein described method Which consists in` providing a sheet metal rim, connecting a plurality of spokes to said rim, applying applying a core to said rim, applying a rubber tire to said core and rim, arranging the tir`e and rim Within a mold .and protecting the spokes from steam and' then vuloanizing the. tire upon said rim.

4.y The herein described method which con- .'sists in providing a Wheel body comprising spokes and a sheet metalrim, applying a rub ber tire to said rim, placing said'wheel body with tire in a suitable mold, and protecting the spokes against heat and moisture, 4and then vulcanizing the tire upon the rim. p

5. The method of. making ,rubber tired wheels, comprising the assembling of a Wheel body Within and permanently connecting it to a sheet metal rim, mounting a sheet metal filler in said rim, applying vulcanizable rub-l ber compound to said rim, and vulcanizing said rubber compound upon the rim to form `a resilienttire permanently attached to the periphery ofthe Wheel.

6. The method of making'rubber tired wheels, comprising the assuniiliI-ig of a'pluaooessof steam to the wheel spokes, and gpralit'y ofspokeswithin a sheet metal rilmappling heat and pressure to vulcanize said plying vulcanizable rubber 'compound to said` ru ber compound upon the rims. 10

rim, enclosing the rim portion of saidiA Wheel In testimony whereof, Ihereunto aix,my

5 'in a. mold, stacking plurality of said' moldsl signature.-

in a vulcanizer with steam-tight packing inl f terposed between adjacenil molds toprevent l JAMES H. WAGENHORST. 

